Horrible Histories Writing

Overview

An 8-minute engaging writing session for a small group (4 pupils) focused on creating non-chronological reports in the style of Horrible Histories. Pupils will research Roman facts, apply figurative language and word play, practise punctuation and sentence variation, and explore audience and purpose through drama activities, perfectly aligned with the National Curriculum for England (Year 4).

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National Curriculum Links

• English Programme of Study (Year 4):

  • Writing:
    • Plan writing by discussing and recording ideas.
    • Organise paragraphs around a theme.
    • Use commas after fronted adverbials (pupils should consolidate here).
    • Use a variety of sentence types (questions, statements, exclamations).
    • Use expanded noun phrases to convey meaning clearly.
  • Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (ESPG):
    • Use of commas after fronted adverbials.
    • Use of clauses and conjunctions.
  • Reading:
    • Retrieve and record information from non-fiction texts.

• Speaking & Listening (Drama & Role-play):

  • Participate in performances and role-play to explore meaning and engage with an audience.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, pupils will:

• LO1: Extract relevant Roman facts from non-fiction Horrible Histories-style texts through collaborative research (reading focus).
• LO2: Organise ideas into paragraphs with clear focus and audience in mind (writing focus).
• LO3: Use figurative language and word play to add humour, making writing entertaining and purposeful.
• LO4: Apply commas and clauses to improve sentence structure and clarity.
• LO5: Use varied sentence types (questions, statements, exclamations) appropriate to the audience.
• LO6: Practise handwriting and spelling accuracy with high-frequency and topic-specific words.

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Resources

• Age-appropriate Horrible Histories Roman fact texts (printed excerpts or screen-based).
• Writing paper, pencils, and coloured pens.
• Whiteboard or flipchart.
• Quick reference cards on punctuation (commas, clauses, sentence types).
• Props (togas, laurel wreaths) for role-play.
• Timer or stopwatch.

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Lesson Plan Breakdown

Time	Activity	Details & Teacher Notes
0:00 – 1:30	Introduction & Context Setting	Briefly discuss what Horrible Histories is, highlighting its humour and facts about Romans. Emphasise the focus — short non-chronological reports with funny twists. Show example snippet from a Horrible Histories book.
1:30 – 3:30	Research & Fact Gathering	In pairs, pupils skim and scan the texts to find 3 interesting/funny Roman facts. Teacher circulates to scaffold and encourage use of non-fiction features (headings, bullet points). Pupils jot notes.
3:30 – 5:30	Writing Paragraphs with Humour	Each pupil writes a short paragraph or a comic-style panel using their facts. Encourage use of figurative language (e.g., similes, silly metaphors), alliteration, or quirky word play. Teacher models an example sentence with commas and fronted adverbials (e.g. “In the blazing sun, Roman soldiers marched like unstoppable machines!”).
5:30 – 6:30	Drama & Role-play	Pupils take turns acting out their paragraphs using props, applying tone and expression that matches the humour and serious info mix of Horrible Histories. Teacher encourages using exclamations and questions vocally.
6:30 – 7:30	Shared Quiz Creation	Drawing from their paragraphs, pupils write one quiz question each on Roman facts with multiple-choice answers in the Horrible Histories style (wacky options).
7:30 – 8:00	Assessment & Feedback	Quick peer feedback: What was funniest? Which sentence used a comma well? Teacher highlights effective use of clauses, punctuation accuracy, and audience awareness. End with spell-check of key topic words and correct handwriting formation.

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Assessment

• Formative:

  • Observation during research discussions and role-play for engagement and understanding.
  • Review paragraphs for paragraph structure, punctuation (commas), sentence variety, and humour.
  • Peer feedback focused on audience effect and clarity.

• Summative (Informal):

  • Quiz questions created by pupils demonstrate fact recall and awareness of purpose (to entertain and inform).
  • Teacher notes pupils’ handwriting legibility and spelling accuracy of Roman-related vocabulary.

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Differentiation

• Support: Provide sentence starters and word banks for lower ability pupils. Assist with punctuation reminders.
• Challenge: Encourage use of expanded noun phrases, compound and complex sentences, and more sophisticated humour techniques (puns, irony).

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WOW Factor Suggestions

• Use simple sound effects (drum roll, marching sounds) during drama for immersive engagement.
• Create a quick cartoon strip on the whiteboard live, based on pupil ideas, showcasing figurative language and punctuation in real time.
• Record short video clips of role-play describing their Roman facts to share with the rest of the school or parents.

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National Curriculum References (Extracts)

• English – Writing - Year 4:

  • “Use commas after fronted adverbials.”
  • “Use paragraphs to organise ideas around a theme.”
  • “Use expanded noun phrases to convey complicated information concisely.”
  • “Vary sentence structure, using different sentence types.”
  • “Use a variety of sentence structures. Punctuate sentences accurately.”

• English – Reading – Year 4:

  • “Retrieve and record information from non-fiction texts.”

• Spoken Language:

  • “Participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play, improvisations and debates.”

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This carefully paced lesson integrates reading, writing, speaking, and listening with a strong focus on purpose, audience, and grammatical accuracy, fulfilling key statutory expectations and inspiring a love of historical facts told with laughs.